Just as Precious
by PixieRed
Summary: Ren plans a trip to the Police Museum and an expensive dinner but Makoto seems disengaged. Written for Day 6 of ShuMako Week 2019: Date Night / Double Date


Amamiya Ren watched the passengers enter and exit the train as he awaited their stop. Makoto sat next to him, leaning her head against the pole at the end of their row of seats. Her expression was neutral with the hint of a frown and her eyes were only half open. He knew work had been taking a lot out of her. It was one of the reasons he had insisted they both carve out a Saturday free from work and do something just for themselves, to relax and to make some memories they could hold tight to when things seemed rough. Hopefully Makoto would brighten up as the day progressed.

The plan was simple—no need to make their date more tiring than their jobs. They would spend the afternoon at the Police Museum. Makoto had gone when she was a child but Ren had never been. Some combination of nostalgia and framing was sure to re-kindle the sense of wonder, of pride that Makoto had for her career. If there was time before dinner, there were some book stores and other shops she might find interesting. Finally, they had reservations at a nice restaurant.

Makoto had initially balked at spending so much on one meal. They were a young couple just setting out after all. Ren managed to win her over through a combination of lauding the restaurant's healthy and unique cuisine, comparing the cost to other, more expensive, restaurants in its class, and expressing that he had difficulty in getting the reservations. He suspected she had wanted to be convinced as he didn't even need to tell her the full extent of his efforts. He had spent the better part of a month calling every day, almost going to Yoshida-san for help.

"Let's go," Ren stood up and offered his hand when they arrived at Kyobashi Station. Makoto took it, not saying a word. Even holding hands, she seemed to drag a step or two behind him. His inclination was to try to tease out a smile, but he restrained himself. Sometimes it was best to let Makoto be Makoto. He wanted her to feel relaxed. She'd engage when she was ready.

The museum wasn't far. A police car sat in front of the entrance. Two small children were standing next to it, wearing police helmets, their father taking photos with his phone. Several other families seemed to be waiting to do the same.

For the first time since they left the station, Makoto took the lead, walking past the vehicle and its crowd of museum-goers. She turned her head to look at it though as she guided them to the entrance. Her lips curled into a small smile. Ren found himself doing the same just watching her.

"It's smaller than I remember," Makoto lifted her free hand to her chin as they entered the exhibit areas of the first floor. She continued to lead Ren by their joined hands, walking with sure strides like she knew exactly where she wanted to go.

Soon they were standing in the middle of a collection of platforms holding police vehicles, mostly motorcycles. Ren grinned. He should have known. It must have been her favorite as a child. She seemed to take in every facet of them: their shape, their mechanics, their detailing... appreciating them on a level he could not. She also stopped to read the placards. It was as if she were somewhere else, oblivious to the chaos of small children and families around her. Best of all, she seemed more relaxed.

Ren took out his phone and began taking pictures.

"Why don't you get on one?" Ren asked when she paused in the walkway between several popular displays. He waved his phone before Makoto, indicating his intentions.

"Don't be silly," a hint of a smile crossed her face. "That's for children. Plus, you're supposed get permission at the desk."

"It doesn't look like that's what's happening," said Ren. There was an informal line of families around each of the displays. Some parents seemed to be trying to keep their children in check, but some were too young to understand the procedures.

"All the more reason why we shouldn't," said Makoto. She raised a single finger. A swath of pink was spreading across her cheeks. "I-it wouldn't be setting a good example either."

That stutter. That blush. She must actually really want to...

"Maybe some weekday af-afternoon..." Makoto dipped her head. She bit her lip. "When it's not as busy."

Ren felt it right in his chest. He knew his wife was cute, but she never ceased to surprise him, to surpass his expectations. He pressed his lips together, trying to stifle a smile. She'd know what he was thinking. She'd be annoyed. It would be even more cute... but it was best not to push her.

"D-don't look at me like that."

 _Too late._

Ren looked up. Makoto's mouth was somewhere between a pout and a whimper.

 _Worth it._

Ren exhaled. It was finally beginning to seem like she was enjoying herself.

"Let's go," Makoto nodded her head towards the stairwell. As they started to ascend, she mumbled. "The second floor is mostly for kids-"

"I'm gonna be the fastest!" A familiar voice burst through the din of the museum visitors.

Ren and Makoto turned to each other, wide eyes indicating they both recognized the shout. They stopped at the second floor after all. Pedaling as hard as possible on the cycling simulator, they found one Sakamoto Shou, age five. Ryuji knelt next to his son, watching the screen. Ann stood a little further back, watching the boy.

"Hey! It don't count if you don't follow the rules!" Ryuji said as Shou tried to make his virtual counterpart ignore the simulation. Ren chuckled to himself. This was the man who spent the better part of their second year wearing a "No Mo' Rules" T-shirt to school, the man who once jumped in front of a moving taxi. It seemed that fatherhood was giving him a new appreciation of traffic safety.

"Daddy you're boring," Shou turned to his father. His eyes lit up in recognition when he saw Ren and Makoto. "Uncle Ren! Watch me!"

Both Ryuji and Ann turned. Ann, in dark sunglasses with her hair tightly braided, smiled so brightly it might reveal her celebrity status anyway. Shou continued to pedal hard, unaware he was no longer being watched.

"What're you guys doin' here?" Ryuji's greeting would have come off rude to anyone else, but carried the warmth of familiarity when it came to them.

"I hadn't been before," Ren ran a hand through his hair. He supposed that despite his wife's career, it was an odd choice for _him_ of all people. "I was curious, especially since Makoto used to go as a kid."

"That must've been so cute!" Ann turned to Makoto. "Is it like you remembered it?"

"It's expanded quite a bit..." Makoto said quietly.

"Uh... we're not interrupting anything, are we?" asked Ryuji.

"Not at all," Ren smiled. " _We_ found _you_ after all. We've got dinner plans later and-"

"Hey!" Shou interrupted. He seemed to have realized he had lost the adult's attention. "Look at me!"

"Shou~" Ann's voice was melodic. "We don't talk like that. Be nice to Uncle Ren and Aunt Makoto."

Shou pouted. "Yes'm."

"It's about time we got off anyway," Ann lifted her son from the simulator. "There are other children waiting."

"But Mom-"

"We have to share with everyone," said Ann.

"But hey!" Ryuji's smile was big. "We got Aunt Makoto now. She's a real police officer. We're gonna get a special tour."

"Ryuji!" chastised Ann.

"Uh... I mean... if that's okay," Ryuji scratched at the back of his hair.

"It's fine," said Makoto, her head rising just short of meeting Ryuji's eyes. Her tone was soft. "It's probably better with a child."

Ren and Makoto followed the Sakamoto family through the floors of the museum. While Makoto answered anything Ryuji and Ann couldn't, for the most part the exhibits were self-explanatory. Though Shou could be a handful, his parents seemed to keep him within reasonable bounds. Makoto was largely free to engage with the placards and displays on her own. Ren followed behind, taking photos.

"...that means they deal with bad guys going against the whole country, not just the ones who menace individual people like you an' me," Ryuji elaborated on the information provided about the Public Security Bureau.

"Like the Phantom Thieves did?" asked Shou.

"Well... it's probably a little different," said Ann. She looked over to Makoto expectantly, but she didn't seem to notice.

Ren watched his wife. She continued to stare off at some point in space, like she was lost in thought. Perhaps she hadn't been having a good time. Maybe he should have stepped in when Ryuji asked for a tour.

"Hey Makoto, you've been really quiet today," Ryuji broke the awkward pause in the conversation. Makoto turned her head at the sound of her name. "What're you sick or somethin'?"

Makoto's eyes opened wide. "Oh."

Ren made the same face. He should have realized. He was so focused on whether or not she liked his plans, he didn't consider the fact that she might be-

"I've had a mild headache... " Makoto brought her finger tips to her forehead. Her eyes searched in front of her, as they did often when she was thinking intently. "And I've been feeling unusually tired... And my throat has been a little scratchy..."

"We should go home," said Ren.

"N-no, it's really mild," Makoto waved her open hands in front of her chest. "I'm fine."

"We should go home," Ren was more forceful this time. He took a step forward, leaning in slightly.

"But your reservations and-"

"We can make new ones," Ren spoke quickly, not allowing her to interrupt. "We can come back here again. We're not far."

"But-"

Ren turned to Ann and Ryuji. He noted Shou had begun to restlessly circle his mother's legs. "Could you guys take 19:00 reservations for two? It's for the Particle Lounge."

Ann's eyebrows raised and her lips puckered. Ren gave her a strong look before she could say anything that might make Makoto feel guilty. Instead, she turned to Ryuji. "I've been wanting to try that place! Do you think your mother could take Shou tonight?"

"Already askin'," Ryuji had his phone out. His other hand came to a rest on Shou's head just as the boy started to wander off. "I don't think she works tonight an' you know she's always happy to take 'im. I dunno how she never gets tired."

Ann shielded her mouth with a raised hand before whispering in Ren's direction. "He's way less of a handful than Ryuji was."

Ren smiled at Ann's follow-up wink.

"Yeah, no problem," Ryuji nodded to the group, having missed Ann's aside. He slipped his phone back in his pocket. "You rest up, 'kay Makoto?"

"Yeah Makoto... and thanks for the reservations!" Ann smiled.

"Have fun," Makoto said. At this point it wasn't like she could take the reservations back.

"Thanks for the afternoon," said Ren. He waved to Ann and Ryuji before bending at the knees for Shou. "You be good."

"I will!" The boy balled his hands into fists. He turned to Makoto and mumbled. "I hope you get better."

Makoto managed a smile, her skin crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "Thanks."

Ren wrapped an arm around Makoto's shoulders as they headed towards the staircase.

When they were out of earshot of the Sakakmoto family, she spoke. Her voice seemed small. "I'm really sorry, this was supposed-"

"Don't be," said Ren. "It's not like you wanted to be sick."

Makoto merely nodded.

On the train ride home, she fell asleep leaning against him. Her breaths were labored. She was clearly further under the weather than she thought, probably on the upswell. She woke up at their stop, some internal timer rousing her. Of course she insisted on walking back to their apartment herself. He held her hand firmly as they walked. She seemed to be blinking more than normal.

When they got home, Makoto went straight to their bedroom. Ren thought he'd have to shoo her away from the draw of her laptop, but it seemed even she acknowledged she needed the rest. It was absurd that she had thought she could last the rest of their date. Ren filled a glass with water before joining her. She was already asleep, curled up on top of the covers, still wearing her all of her clothes, even her jacket.

"Come on," Ren nudged her. "Have some water. Change."

Makoto looked at him through half open eyes. Perhaps she was considering ignoring him. Fortunately, she sat up without argument and took the water in shallow sips.

"Your throat is only a _little scratchy_?" Ren raised an eyebrow as he took back the cup as she offered it.

"It got worse," the hoarseness was indeed beginning to show.

"Wait. Let me get a thermometer," said Ren. "Just sit right here."

Miraculously, Makoto was sitting upright (well, slouching) at the edge of the bed when Ren returned with the device. He ran it over her forehead.

"37.7," he answered the question in her eyes. She only murmured in response. It was a little high for her, but not particularly worrisome. "That's it. You can sleep now."

Makoto nodded as she shrugged off her coat and stood up. She made her way to the nightstand, opening the drawer that contained her night clothes. She put her hands on the top button of her shirt and paused as if she were lost in thought.

"Makoto?" Ren followed her. She tilted her head up at him.

"Ah. Right," Makoto began to fumble with her top button.

"Here," Ren set down the glass on the nightstand and began undoing Makoto's buttons for her. It seemed that once her body tasted sleep, she was no longer able to overcome how tired she was. Slowly, he helped her into the tank top and lounge pants of her pajamas.

Makoto crawled under the covers. Ren leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. He then picked up the water and held it out to her. "One more sip."

She took the glass in both hands and did as told. When she was done, he returned it to the nightstand for when she next awoke. He picked up her shedded jacket. By the time he was at the door and turning out the lights, she was already sleep.

Ren retrieved his laptop from his briefcase. He might as well get some casework done with his unplanned free time. Sitting on the couch, he opened the machine and input his password. He paused, thinking about all he and Makoto had done that day. He took out his phone and flicked through the photos. They hadn't even made it halfway through what he had planned, but they had made some nice memories.

––––– ––––– –––––

A few hours later, the sound of a door opening brought Ren's attention from his work to their bedroom. Makoto emerged, their top layer blanket wrapped around her. She padded over to the couch, blanket dragging behind her like some sort of royal cape. He smiled. Even in the messy comfort of being sick, she was still a queen. His Queen. She sat down next to him, bringing her legs up next to her on the unoccupied cushion.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Tired," she replied, watching him through half open eyes. Despite surrounding herself in the large blanket, she still shivered.

"You should go back to bed." He planted a brief kiss on her forehead.

"I want to be with you," she said. The lovely tones of her normal voice fought with the gravel of whatever ailed her.

Ren felt his cheeks warm. With just a few words, she could make him feel so fulfilled, so proud, so elated. However... "You should sleep. You have a fever."

"Maybe it went away." Makoto wrapped the blankets more tightly around herself. She looked tiny in the fluffy mass meant to span their shared bed.

"It didn't," Ren kissed her on the forehead again. "I'm taking your temperature right now."

Makoto's eyes opened fully. "You can do that?"

"No." Ren replied with a breathy chuckle. She was still really out of it to believe that. He kissed her a third time. "Maybe if I get more practice."

"I guess I'll have to stay here then," she said, nuzzling into his side. Her eyes were almost completely closed and her lips pressed together in a dopey but sincere smile. It was the completely unguarded Makoto that so few got to see. She pressed up against him, dropping to more of a laying position using the rest of the couch and making a loose cocoon with the blanket.

Ren lifted his arm and adjusted his leg, finding a position he knew was comfortable for both of them. She drifted off quickly. He rested his hand lightly on her head, stroking her hair before returning to his laptop.

It wasn't the date night he had planned, not at all, but they were together. Moments like these were just as precious.


End file.
